30: Chapter 30 Armor Mechanics

"Yes, it won't happen again!"

"Third test, all tanks prepare. Target the same impact point, one more volley!"

"Yes!"

"Boom, boom, boom."

Ten main battle tanks fired simultaneously, and the kicked-up dust and smoke covered the entire tank group.

Chu Ge looked at the surveillance video. He saw the armor that had just been hit being instantly replaced by the armor next to it, while the scorched armor was moved elsewhere.

"Damn, it can do that? This armor can actually patch its own holes?"

Division Commander Wang was truly impressed this time.

"The armor we can currently make with our material technology isn't actually invincible."

"It will break once it reaches its fatigue threshold, so we designed the armor all over [Soul Blade] as a dynamic mechanism. Theoretically, if the head armor were swapped to the foot, it would only take a few seconds, maybe even faster!"

"There are also backup armor plates inside its body—consider them consumable parts. This way, even if it encounters high-intensity warfare, it can still hold up!"

Li Gang explained the armor mechanism of [Soul Blade] in detail to Division Commander Wang.

"It's a stopgap measure. When we have suitable, truly invincible armor, it'll be easy to swap out!"

Finally, Chu Ge added.

After the smoke cleared, Chu Ge checked the monitoring data. The 98% figure remained unchanged.

"Alright, final armor test. Tank group, free fire, ammo load is one unit!"

"Yes!"

"Boom, boom, boom, boom." The sounds of shells firing and exploding kept coming through the headset.

Our poor mech warrior stood there motionless, taking a beating.

However, looking at its posture, it seemed incredibly relaxed.

It was nothing more than a tickle!

"Division Commander Wang, would you like a cup of tea? It'll take a while."

Chu Ge asked, taking a relaxed sip of tea.

"No, no need!"

Division Commander Wang didn't even turn his head; his eyes were tensely fixed on the surveillance video and the test data.

Five minutes later, the dust settled.

Chu Ge glanced at the data; the 98% armor rating hadn't budged at all.

"Alright, armor test over. Pack it up!"

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"Division Commander Wang, thank you very much for the cooperation of the armored division. The tank group can return to their post."

"Then, have the tow trucks unload the scrapped tanks in the open field."

"Understood!"

Thirty minutes later,

"[Soul Blade], use your heavy fists to engage those two tanks in hand-to-hand combat! Feel free to improvise!"

Chu Ge commanded.

On the test field, [Soul Blade]'s massive body "whooshed" into the sky, getting higher and higher until the drones couldn't even capture the footage anymore.

In the data center hall, everyone looked at each other, confused.

"I told you to improvise, and you're starting with the flashy stuff again."

Chu Ge covered his eyes with his hands.

The next second, [Soul Blade] dropped straight down from high altitude, pulled its left fist back, and with a "boom," slammed solidly into a tank.

The dust, over ten meters high, dispersed. In the field, there was no sign of the tank; it had already been deeply smashed into the ground by [Soul Blade]'s fist.

A large crater appeared on the screen.

"Are you performing scenes from 'Kung Fu Hustle' here? Fine, fine, fine, just raise your fist and smash the other one right where it is."

Chu Ge yelled into the mic.

[Soul Blade] faced the camera, didn't even look at the tank, raised its fist, and "bang" smashed down. The tank instantly shattered and was dismantled on the spot.

"Should've done that from the start!"

This was also the first time Chu Ge had seen [Soul Blade] throw a heavy punch.

He seemed quite satisfied.

"Is he disciplining his son?"

Division Commander Wang asked Academician Chen beside him in a low voice.

"Uh, technically speaking, he really is [Soul Blade]'s father!"

"Alright, pretend I didn't ask."

[Soul Blade]'s debut ended amidst the bickering of the "father and son."

After [Soul Blade] walked back to the experimental workshop, Li Gang and the others rushed up to inspect it carefully, afraid that some paint might have been scratched off...

The officers and soldiers of the 115th Division watched as the mech warrior descended from the sky, landed slowly, and walked into the experimental base.

"Damn, seeing this guy up close is truly shocking!"

"More than shocking. I heard the entire Flying Dragon Squadron didn't even last 10 minutes before being completely wiped out by it."

"Really?"

"Say, why did our Division Commander give us a day off today? What about the scheduled exercise?"

"You brat, haven't you had enough of a beating?"

"..."

"Why do I feel like we're about to be out of a job?"

"Phooey!"

From this day on, [Soul Blade]'s might spread throughout the entire A Group Army, causing a chain reaction that Chu Ge would deeply regret a few days later.

China Weaponry Experimental Base.

Chu Ge and his team were not in a hurry to leave.

He needed to lead Li Gang and the others to familiarize themselves with [Soul Blade]'s operating procedures and inspection processes.

It's not like Chu Ge could bring such a behemoth with him every time he went out in the future.

"Take advantage of these few days at the base and the ready-made facilities to drill [Soul Blade] hard. You all need to organize all of its data."

"Once confirmed accurate and complete, perform a data backup. China will definitely have more than just this one mech warrior in the future; consider this accumulating experience. What you're doing now will become the blueprint for the future!"

"Future mechs can just follow this pattern, which is the fastest way to build combat capability."

Chu Ge said to Li Gang beside him.

Li Gang was now Chu Ge's capable assistant. A graduate of the Physics department at China Qinghua University, he was a high-achiever in the truest sense.

With a solid foundation in physics, Li Gang could easily handle many system technologies that Chu Ge found difficult.

For Chu Ge, this was incredibly awesome.

So, after tasting the benefits once, Chu Ge decided to vigorously cultivate this high-achiever.

A shameless hands-off manager.

After working all morning, Chu Ge was feeling a bit dizzy and quickly called everyone to go eat.

"Ding." A text message arrived on his phone. Chu Ge took it out and saw it was from his almost-girlfriend, Dilireba Nazha.

Having been at the base for a few days, this was the first time the two of them had been in contact.

"Fine, Engineer Chu. If I don't contact you, you don't even know to contact me, huh?"

The young lady started interrogating him right off the bat.

"I was wrong, my little princess. I've been experimenting these past few days at the base and have been so tired that I just go to sleep when I get back at night! I haven't showered in days, why don't you come and smell me?"

"Ugh, what is wrong with you? My lunch just went down, and you're making me want to bring it back up."

"Haha! I'll probably return to Yanjing once I'm done with these few days."

"Alright then, I'm going to Yanjing in a few days too. Do you want to...?"

Dilireba Nazha sent a bunch of little finger emojis.

"What does this mean? I'm the type to take the bait as soon as you seduce me, so you better be careful."

"Get lost, I meant meeting up. Where is your mind? You big pervert, I'm starting to suspect that you did it on purpose on the plane, hmph!"

"Damn, are we still dwelling on that old history? Haha, by the way, do you have business in Yanjing? How long are you staying?"

"My new TV drama has finished filming, and I'm going to promote it. I'll probably be staying for three or four days."

"I almost forgot our little princess is a big star. What's the name of the drama? I'll promote it for you later. Hehe, forgot the important part: is the male lead as handsome as me?"

"'You Are My Glory,' way more handsome than you! Teehee."

"Goodbye!"

"Say that again?"

"I was wrong..."

"..."

Li Gang watched the grinning Chu Ge while eating beside him.

"Damn, coming to the cafeteria today was worth it. Look at Chief Engineer Chu, his smile is so lecherous!"

"Haha, Brother Gang, you're in trouble! Already recorded, I'm going to go snitch later!"

"No, no, no, brother, listen to me. Whatever you want, just say it. Anything under 1000, I'll swipe my card right now!"

"Hahaha."